Rotary hoist



Oct. 28. 1924. r 1,513,387

E. E. GREVE ROTARY HO I S T Filed May 5, 922 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. ,28 1924.

E. E. GREVE ROTARY HOIST Filed May 5, I922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll l l lfll lup t UNI I.J I a a a; 2i!

Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNITED STATES EDGAR E GREVE, 0F BELLEVUE, PENNSYLVANIA.

' ROTARY HOIST. v

Application filed may 'a,

To all whom it may concern,

Be it known that I, EDGAR E. Gnnvn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in R0- tary Hoists, of which the following is a specification. I w

This invention is for a hoist for use in connection with earth drilling rigs, andrelates particularly to a combined hoisting mechanism and driving means for a rotary,

the invention being intended for use with roable length from which'both the rotary and any one of them breaks. The height of the line shaft above the floor also requires that the posts for supporting; the shaft be"sufli.

ciently long to permit of such construction. The longer the posts are, the more susceptible they are, of course, to bending movements.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a hoist of sturdy construction in which the line shaft is located below the drum shaft, the height of the post being limited and the line shaft supported against springing. Another object is the means of driving the rotary in either direction.

A further important object is to provide a semi-rigid driving connection in the form of a flexibly coupled shaft between the line shaft and rotary in place of the chain nor- 1922. Serial No. 53,194.

mally employed. ,Rotaries have heretofore been driven by a shaft in many instances where a driller preferred a rigid driving connection, but many operators prefer a chain because they can tellby. the manner in which the chain is runnin 'whether or not they are liable to injure t e idrill shaft orstem. My invention gives the advantages of a rigid drive "and yet provides for greater flexibility than obtains in a chain drive, so that the advantages of. thechain drive are retained in a more marked degree than in the chain drive itself, and the driller may ]udge, thereftre, how much strain is on thedrill stem. v

My invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanving drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View ofthe .hoist'and rotary;

Fig. 1" is a detail sectional view on line a-a of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a section on line II-'II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the hoist; Fig. 4: is a front'view'of one form of flexible couplingwhich I may use; and I Fig. 5 is a side elevation of thecoupling. In the drawings, 5 indicates across beam near the bottom ofthe derrick structure, and 6 is the derrick floor. Suitably positioned on the floor is a rotary 7 of any usual or preferred construction.

Secured to the' cross beam 5 are vertical posts8 on which the hoist and line shaft, hereinafter described, are carried. The posts areconne'cte'd at their upper ends to a cross beam 9. I V I f Secured to the posts 8, as' near to the floor as permissible, a'rebearingslOwhich support the drum shaft 11, on which is carried the drum 12. Catheads 13 may provided on the projecting ends of the shaft. The drum is provided with brake wheels 14 at each end thereof. At each side of the drum, and loose on the shaft, are sprocket gear wheels, indicated as 15 and 16.. Sprocket;

on the other side, which fit into correspond- 1 ingly shaped recessesin the of the sprocket wheel. This provides an automatic release for the clutch if the shaft should be rotated faster than the sprocket wheel.

A slidable clutch 19 having projections 19 is splined to shaft 11 to transmit motion from sprocket wheel 16 to the drum shaft,

the hub of the sprocket wheel having re;esses for the reception of projections 19. A feather 20 may be provided for operating this clutch.

On the opposite side of each post 8 from the bearings 10, are brackets 21. Connecting the brackets on the two posts are structural metal beams 22; Oneach bracket 21 is a bearing 23 disposed below the center of the drum shaft 11. These bearings support the line shaft 24. This line shaft carries a small sprocket wheel 25 around which a chain may pass to drivesprocket 15 on the drum shaft. It also carries a larger sprocket wheel 26, from which power may be transmitted to sprocket wheel 16. It will be apparent that sprocket wheels 16 and 26 drive shaft 11 through clutch 19 at a greater speed than sprockets l5 and 25, and hence the advantage ofhaving clutch 17 self-releasing when the drum shaft is driven faster than the sprocket l5.

Keyed to the shaft 24 is a third sprocket wheel 27, through which power may be transmitted from a source of power through a chain (not shown) to the line shaft.

Fixed to the supporting beams 22, about midway between the posts, is a retaining structure 28 having bearings 29 therein for the line shaft 24:. In this retainer and loose on the shaft, are opposed bevel gearwheels 30 and 30. Both of these gear wheels mesh with a pinion 31 on a rotary driving shaft 32, which is journaled in the retainer at 33. A clutch 34 splined to the line shaft 24 and operated through a suitable feather 35 serves to transmit motion from the line shaft to either one of the bevel gears, said clutch having a neutral position in which neither of the gears is driven. By shifting the clutch as desired, the direction of rotation of shaft 32 may be reversed.

The shaft 32 extends from the line shaft to the rotary, as shown in Fig. 1, passing under the-@lrum' 12 and as close to the floor as possible. In order to provide a certain amount of flexibility between the line shaft and rotary, so as to enable drillers to determine, to some extent, whether they are likely to injure the drill stem or any part of the machinery by the relative movement of sec tions of the pipe, one or more'fiexible couplings are placed in the drive shaft, which shaft is made in sections for this purpose.

In order to allow for certain limited longitudinal movements in the shaft 32, I may divide the shaft and connect adjacent ends by a coupling 32*. This coupling may be of any preferred or desired construction, so

her 36 has a rounded recess 36 therein.

long as it allows for a limited extension in the length of the shaft, or for longitudinal movement of the separate sections of the shaft. The coupling 32, shown in the drawings, comprises two plates bolted together and having keyways in their shaft engaging; faces which hold keys 32*, said keys slidably engaging in suitable key-ways or channels in the shaft sections.

Each flexible coupling is comprised of two main sections 36 and 37. Section 36 has a partly solid interior 36 and a partly hollow interior, the hollow portion being enclosed by a peripheral flange 36 The hub of mem- Member 37 has a rounded projecting hub 37 fitting into the recess 36. It is also provided .with a projection portion 37 adapted to fit into the hollow portion of member 36. The

solid portions of the two sections are spaced apart and the faces 36 and 37 of each are normally parallel. In the faces 36 and 37 d at each side of the shaft, are cups or spring holders 38 having a spherical seat in the faces. Seated in these cups are spiral springs 39. Rods 40 pass through the members 36 and 37, passing also through the springs 39 and holders 38. Clearance for the rods is provided at 36 and 37 The outer-ends of the rods are surrounded by springs 41-held in compression by nuts 4.2. These smaller springs serve to counter balance springs 39.

As the drill stem ofiers resistance to the rotary, one of the springs 39 will be com- 1m pressed as the parts 36 and 37 tend to move relatively to each other. The action of the couplings may, therefore, serve to indicate to the operator dangerous conditions.

From the foregoing, it is believed that many of the important advantages attained by my invention are apparent. The line shaft is supported below the drum shaft so that the necessity for elevated power transmission chains is eliminated. The posts 8 can be made of minimum height. The chain for driving the rotary is eliminated, while the advantages of the chain are retained. Obviously, it would not be desirable to have a power transmitting shaft elevated above the hoisting drum. The present invention enables the drive shaft to be close to the floor. The line shaft is supported against springing, and the retaining means for the reversing gearing gives rigidity to he construction. The brackets for the line shaft enable the line shaft to be suficiently low and provide for lateral clearance of the various parts.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of my invention, and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

.1. A hoist for rotary drilling operations comprising a drum, a shaft therefor, posts on one side of which the shaft is supported,

brackets on opposite side of said posts projecting outwardly from the posts having bearings therein spaced outwardly from the posts and below'the drum shaft, a line shaft in said bearings, said line shaft thereby being disposed to one side of the drum shaft and below it, and means for driving the drum shaft from the line shaft.

2. A hoist for rotary drilling operations comprising a drum, a shaft therefor, posts on which the shaft is supported, brackets on the posts having bearings therein disposed to one side of and below the drum shaft, a line shaft in said bearings, means on the line shaft throughwhich the drum may be driven, gearing thereon through which a rotary may be driven, bearing means for the line shaft adjacent said gears for driving a rotary, and a rigid cross member connecting said brackets to which said bearing means is secured.

3. A hoist for rotary drilling operations comprising a drum, a shaft therefor, posts on one side of which the drum shaft is su ported, brackets on the op osite side of sald posts, a line shaft in sa1 brackets spaced outwardly from the posts and at one side of and below the'drum shaft, means on said line shaft through which the drum shaft may be driven, gears on said line shaft which are clear of the drum through which a rotary may be driven, rotary driving means driven by said gears and extending under the drum, a retainer for said ears rovid ing bearings for the line sha t, an ,rigid supporting means for the retainer.

4. A hoist for rotary drilling operations comprising a drum, ashaft therefor, posts on one side of which the drum shaft is supported, brackets on eitherfside of said posts, transverse supporting means connecting the brackets, a line shaft in said brackets spaced outwardly from the posts at one side of and below the drum shaft, means on said line shaft through which the drum shaft may be driven, a shaft extending under the drum for driving a rotary, gears on said line shaft for rotating said rotary driving shaft, said gears being arranged to provide a reversing mechanism for the rotary driving shaft, and a retainer carried by said transverse supporting means for said gears.

5. A rotary driving means comprising a line shaft, a rotary driving shaft at right angles thereto, gearing for transmitting motion from the line shaft to the rotary driving shaft, and a resilient coupling in the rotary driving shaft.

6'. A rotary driving means com rising a line shaft, a rotary driving sha driven from said line shaft, a resilient coupling in the rotary driving shaft, and means in said rotary driving shaft for allowing said shaft to be extended or contracted longitudinally.

In, testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EDGAR E. GREVE. 

